Within the current public switched telephone network (PSTN), signaling is accomplished via the use of signaling system 7 (SS7) messages such as those shown in FIG. 1. The simplified SS7 network 100 presented in FIG. 1 includes a calling party 102 and a called party 104 that are generally connected via end offices or service switching points (SSPs) 106 and 108 and an SS7 signaling network 110. As such, SS7 signaling messages may be communicated between the SSP nodes 106 and 108 via signaling network 110. Those skilled in the art of telecommunication network signaling communications will appreciate that a variety of SS7 messages may be employed to facilitate the setup and teardown of voice calls. Furthermore, certain types of SS7 messages may be used to access network communication service applications that provide such services as caller ID, 800 number service, etc. A detailed discussion of SS7 signaling message types and their associated function can be found in Signaling System #7 by Travis Russell, McGraw-Hill Publishing 1998.
As indicated in FIG. 1, an SS7 ISDN user part (ISUP) message may be launched by SSP 106 in response to a call attempt by calling party 102. An SS7 transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) message requesting routing information associated with the call may also be generated by SSP 106 during the call setup sequence. It should be noted that in the PSTN network, SS7 signaling messages are not directly sent to or received by the calling or called parties. Instead, such call signaling messages are generated by an SSP or other SS7 signaling points (SP) in response to a call attempt.
However, in an Internet protocol (IP) telephony type communication network such as IP telephony network 150 shown in FIG. 2, call signaling messages may be generated directly by a calling or called party's communication terminal. As indicated in FIG. 2, the simplified IP telephony network 150 includes a calling party 112 and a called party 114 that are generally connected via a pair of session initiation protocol (SIP) proxy servers 116 and 118, and an IP network 120. Again, it will be appreciated that communication network 150 is a greatly simplified example of an IP telephony network architecture, and that numerous other routing and processing nodes may also be employed to provide complete communication network service and functionality. For the purposes of example, it will be appreciated that in such an IP network scenario, SIP signaling messages may be communicated directly between the calling and called parties 112 and 114, respectively. That is, the communication terminals (telephone handset, computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc.) associated with calling party 112 and called party 114 are adapted to receive, process, and send SIP type signaling messages.
For instance, one example of a SIP type signaling message that could be generated and sent by calling party 112 is a SIP Invite message 200, presented in FIG. 3. SIP Invite message 200 includes a header field 202, a Via field 204, a From field 206, a To field 208, a Call-ID field 210, a Content-Type field 212, a Content-Length field 214, and a Payload field 216. Such SIP type messages are employed in a SIP-based IP telephony network to facilitate the setup and execution of a communication session comparable to a telephone call in a conventional PSTN type communication network.
With particular regard to features and services provided by the PSTN, it is well known to block incoming telephone calls based on the calling party's telephone number. Such call blocking service is popular, as it prevents parties associated with certain numbers from being allowed to “ring” a communication service subscriber's phone. Obvious uses for such a service include the prevention of obscene, harassing, and/or annoying phone calls. In particular, such call blocking features are commonly used by telephone subscribers to prevent unsolicited calls from telemarketing organizations.
With regard to telemarketing calls, it will appreciated that this category of calls has become so bothersome that laws have been passed in many states that forbid telemarketing firms from repeatedly calling a telephone subscriber once the subscriber has formally notified the telemarketing firm that the subscriber does not wish to receive any further solicitations. Although such laws exist and are in place, most subscribers do not know which agency in their government that they should notify in the event of repeated violations of the law by a telemarketing firm. Furthermore, there is no easy, consistent method of documenting violations of the law.
With the advent of IP telephony networks, such as network 150 shown in FIG. 2, the control of call or communication session signaling has essentially been moved closer to the calling and called parties. As such, intelligent SIP communication terminals may generate, send, receive, and process signaling messages directly, thereby providing a platform for user-directed processing of signaling messages. Furthermore, IP-enabled communication terminals may be adapted to directly access a wide area communication network such as the Internet or World Wide Web. Consequently, some IP-enabled communication terminals may have simultaneous access to both voice and data network components and services. Thus, a call or communication attempt can assume the form of a voice type call or a non-voice type communication (e.g., e-mail, short text message, short audio message, etc.).
Therefore, what is needed is a system for and method of blocking a call or communication attempt from a calling party, automatically registering a complaint against the calling party, and subsequently notifying the appropriate enforcement authority of violations of applicable laws, utilizing the signaling capabilities of IP-enabled communication terminals.